I receive a fair amount of E-mail from people who say they get up and eat in the middle of the night. Some even claim that they don’t even remember eating until they find the dirty dishes or the mess they left behind the next morning. If this sounds like you, there may be one of two things going on here. If you are honestly unaware of your behavior at night, please discuss this with your doctor. There are certain forms of sleep disorders, such as NES (Night Eating Syndrome), which involve memory loss. That is, you get up and eat at night and have no recollection of doing so.

For others, however, this is just a habit that has been developed over time. If you are among this group, you need to get aggressive about breaking this habit. Since you always decide to eat prior to the actually eating, it is the moment of decision where you must focus because the thought always precedes the action.

I have always said that there is one magical moment when the decision to eat is made. If you can manage that moment, you can solve this problem. For those without a diagnosed disorder like NES, there is a moment when you “choose” to get up and eat. This is a choice you are making and accepting that fact is the first step to changing that behavior.

Whatever the cause of your night eating behavior, why not make today the day you take action to stop it? The bottom line is that this behavior will continue as long as you allow it. For most, night eating is a choice. I suggest you make today the day you choose to end that behavior. Pleasant dreams!